After spending a year working from home or as an essential worker, your team could be starting to show signs of fatigue. Some lifestyle changes will have been beneficial, but working in such unconventional circumstances is still likely to have affected motivation and morale.

With the future of work still uncertain, there’s never been a more important time to check-in with your team and assess the impact of lockdown on their lives.

Are your staff still motivated, or do you need to inject some fresh energy?

Communication matters

Clear communication is key. It’s not only important to keep staff up-to-date with company news and projects, but to also listen to employees’ ideas, opinions and feedback.

Hold regular team meetings, check-in with employees and carry out employee satisfaction surveys to monitor your team’s opinions on remote working, company goals etc. That way, you can identify any issues before they become larger problems. 

Set goals 

Setting goals is a tried and tested method for nurturing employees’ professional development and increasing overall productivity in the workplace. 

By tracking progress, staff will be motivated to achieve their goals and succeed. Providing opportunities for training and mentoring are also great ways to encourage employees to learn new skills both personally and professionally.

Reward your staff 

Recognising and rewarding employees for their achievements not only makes people feel appreciated, but also encourages them to do their best work. Praise increases self-esteem, enthusiasm and boosts morale!

Popular ways to reward staff include increased benefit packages, experience days, and voucher or product rewards. Reward schemes don’t have to be monetary, they can also include extra days off, time to work on personal projects, or acknowledgement in company communications. 

Teamwork

Working as part of a team helps employees to feel more engaged in tasks and feel less isolated, especially if working remotely. It’s important to recognise team members’ hard work and for colleagues to provide advice and encouragement if needed. 

Outside of day-to-day work, employees will benefit from team-building opportunities to get to know each other. Regular events, quizzes, exercise challenges and catch-up sessions are popular virtual and ‘real-life’ options!

Work environment

A lot of businesses will still operate remotely in the future. Ensure that your company provides a work from home budget for furniture, IT equipment, and any aid that will make employees’ lives more comfortable. 

If your team still has a physical work space, ensure that the environment meets the needs of the staff and is pleasant to work in. You can also encourage healthy lifestyle habits by providing fresh fruit, relaxing areas to take a break in, exercise classes etc

Do you want to motivate your team with workplace rewards? We can work together to ensure your team’s hard work is recognised via our free employee engagement service. Get in touch with us today on 0203 034 1100 if you’d like to join our network of employers.